Judge says undercover paedophile hunters can continue

[Spankymonkey]

There is a power to step in to stop private prosecutions. I think it may be that that power is not generally used for the RSPCA.

Sorry David but you are talking nonsense as well as propagating a dangerous myth about the RSPCAs 'powers'. The full code test applies to all prosecutors, private or otherwise. There is no special immunity given to the RSPCA. Given their reputation of aggressive investigating and prosecuting it would be insane if the DPP were to give the RSPCA advantages in prosecution that the rest of us do not enjoy, as well as being unconstitutional.

[diy]

In any event, the point of this thread is not that the idiots acting as hungers are prosecutors - they are but catching people.

Err you'll have to try that one again? What is it you're object to and why?

[dls]

I do not believe in vigilantes.

[shootist]

I do not believe in vigilantes.

The alternative is that all non enforcement personnel sit around and say that somebody (else) must do something. The next thing is that someone will say that they are taking the law into their own hands, to which I always reply, "Who's law is it then, if not theirs?" These individuals are not vigilantes. They are not enforcing the law and punishing the offenders, they are identifying criminals and reporting them to the police. The crimes they are reporting are crimes that the police cannot ignore, unlike most crimes reported to them, so action is usually taken.

To call them vigilantes would mean that so are store detectives, some doormen, civilian speed camera teams operating in villages with a speeding problem, anyone who goes to defend a victim of violence and most neighbourhood watches are likewise vigilantes, which is totally wrong. If more people got involved in the fight against crime and were willing to stand their ground against criminals we might live in a safer world.

[shootist]

Re-reading the original report, it seems that these 'hunters' are providing evidence to the police that it would be most unlikely to be admissible if gathered by the police themselves using the same system. This being, I suspect, is because RIPA authorisation would be difficult if not impossible to obtain in many cases. Interesting.

[dls]

They will no doubt be applying for grants next

[Boo]

They will no doubt be applying for grants next

I was thinking the same thing.

I think they should be unmasked, DBS checked (enhanced) and supervised extremely closely.

[Hairyloon]

I do not believe in vigilantes.

Fair point, except how are you defining "vigilante"? Where do you draw the line? Quite right that people should not go out and dispense home made justice, but I understand that these people are just gathering information...

They will no doubt be applying for grants next

I was thinking the same thing.

I think they should be unmasked, DBS checked (enhanced) and supervised extremely closely.

Supervised by whom?
If these things are done, then the group becomes formally recognised and they should fall under the same regulations that the police do and make their evidence inadmissible, but perhaps that is right and they should be regulated otherwise what is the point of the regulations?
Not a field that I have looked at, so I do not know.

[shootist]

God forbid that the police, social services, and other enforcement services, AKA our masters, and who perform their duties so faultlessly well should discover that 'ordinary' people, AKA the sheeple, can perform useful functions in helping enforce the law. As for supervising them closely, I am quite sure that in the event of them having to appear at court as witnesses their actions will be very closely scrutinised indeed. If the allegations they make turn out to be false then they will be a damned sight easier to sue than any police officer.

[Boo]

Will you be offering your services to assist DJ?
You say you've served 22 years in the police force - you may just have the right skills they need. Unless you are already committed - employment wise.
I'd say you'd be perfect for this kind of job.


The point of close supervision; Boundary issues. Information overload. To look for signs of desensitisation.